My port worked pretty well today. Mary says it's because I've been hydrating for the last few days; and that could be true. It's been (I believe) three weeks since that side of the port was dosed with TPA and flushed. But it worked which made the blood draw much easier.
So I had a pleasant conversation with the nurse as she put a needle into my port through my skin. I wonder if her being pleasant had anything to do with my not feeling quite so much pain as the needle went in. Or maybe it was the residual pain medication in my body.
But we talked and eventually got on the subject of the clinical trial and side effects; and I looked down at my hand. I had noticed that the top layer of skin had peeled off a fairly large part of one of my fingers showing the underside layers which look more red and raw.
She was going to call one of the clinical trial coordinators about the blood tests and said she would mention my finger. I said I would be waiting for the initial results such as the blood counts.
I waited around after the blood draw to meet with one of the coordinators of the clinical trial and receive copies of some of the old lab reports and a hard copy of tests that could be done promptly on today's sample.
Ray was nice enough to draw my attention to the TSH and T4 tests which indicated that the Revlimid may have been chewing on my thyroid. My skinned finger confirmed that.
No wonder I've been so sluggish and spacey.
The blood tests are illuminating: my white cell count was 3.9 four weeks after my last infusion and I expected it to get better, but on the revlimid it has been 2.3,2.7 and today 2.6. Normal is 4.5 to 11.
Some of the other immune system related counts were low as well and it occurs to me that I may have to spend the next year with my immune system compromised.
This will certainly put a crimp in the carousing I had planned on doing in the local student bars.
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